On the 1st of July 2022, the Czech Republic will take over the EU Council Presidency from France.
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The Presidency of the EU Council is held successively by EU Member States for a period of six months and is based on the principle of equality and rotation.
The Lisbon Treaty introduced the idea of "trio presidencies" to ensure effective coordination between successive presidencies on a common policy.
Each state decides on its priorities before the start of its presidency and the trio presidency prepares a joint program that will guide the EU Council agenda throughout the 18-month period.
The presiding Member State heads up the trio. The current trio (2022-2023) consists of France, the Czech Republic and Sweden. As of the 1st of July, the Czech Republic is set to take over the leadership of the trio.
In essence, the Presidency’s role is to organise the legislative work of the Council and to set its agenda. Its two main tasks are to plan and chair meetings of the Council and its preparatory bodies, and to represent the Council in its relations with the other EU institutions. The Presidency also negotiates compromises, adopts conclusions, and ensures the overall coherence and continuity of the decision-making process and the effectiveness of cooperation between all member states.
The Czech Republic’s main priorities focus on the current geopolitical situation, climate and energy security, defence and cybersecurity, as well as economic and democratic resilience.
The agricultural sector is also expected to be a hot topic during this presidency, with EU leaders seeking to strike a balance between food safety and food security.
More information on the Czech EU Presidency is available here.